In a network computing environment, a good network architecture is key, in addition to having thin clients connected to the network. Goodness in a network can be measured by high performance and reliability. Both these parameters can be improved by adding more hardware. However, in big networks like ones connecting corporate intranets, cost of adding hardware becomes a substantial factor.
There are a variety of network topologies. See for example "A Survey of Interconnection Networks", author, Tse-yun Feng, COMPUTER, December, 1981, pages 5-20. There is no single network topology, however, which provides the best performance for all possible message distributions. Therefore, it is desirable to have a network which adapts itself automatically to changes in the distribution of messages being transmitted throughout the network. This is especially desirable for global networks where message distribution is affected by the time differences across the world.